> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://helix-5.gitbook.io/tradelayer/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://helix-5.gitbook.io/tradelayer/readme.md).

# TradeLayer

**Private trading for institutions.**

An institution registers on-chain, funds a treasury in USDC, decides who may trade and how much, and its people buy real tokenised equities on its behalf — without publishing what they trade or what they hold.

Orders are sealed in the browser and opened only inside a **Chainlink Confidential Workflow** running in an AWS Nitro enclave. The enclave checks the institution's private rules, places one real broker order, and signs an EIP-712 settlement that a relayer submits to Hedera. Positions live encrypted in `ConfidentialLedger`. Shares are **ATS equity tokens** pooled in an omnibus vault. Unfilled orders refund themselves through the Hedera Schedule Service.

> Not even the operator can see the order flow.

## Where to start

| If you want to                           | Read                                                          |
| ---------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Understand why this exists               | [The problem](/tradelayer/concepts/the-problem.md)            |
| Understand how it works in three ideas   | [Three ideas](/tradelayer/concepts/three-ideas.md)            |
| Know exactly what leaks and what doesn't | [What is private](/tradelayer/concepts/privacy.md)            |
| See the moving parts                     | [Architecture overview](/tradelayer/architecture/overview.md) |
| Run it                                   | [Running it locally](/tradelayer/guides/running-locally.md)   |
| Know what it can't do yet                | [Honest limits](/tradelayer/honest-limits/limits.md)          |

## Status

Live on Hedera testnet against a real Alpaca paper-trading account. Five contracts deployed and verified (Sourcify `exact_match`), the Chainlink workflow deployed to the CRE private registry, the web app and intake API hosted.

Built for **ETHOnline 2026** — Hedera *Tokenization of Anything* and Chainlink *Best Confidential Workflow*.

## A note on sources

This documentation is generated from two places that do not always agree: the codebase, and the architecture specification maintained in Notion (v1.5). Where they diverge, these pages describe **what the code actually does** and flag the divergence. The most significant ones are collected in [Honest limits](/tradelayer/honest-limits/limits.md).


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters:

```
GET https://helix-5.gitbook.io/tradelayer/readme.md?ask=<question>&goal=<user_goal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case.

The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.
